This disclosure relates generally to an arrangement for fastening at least one sensor on a face of a subject to acquire one or more signals indicative of patient physiological parameter and also relates to a measuring assembly.
There is a need for placing sensors on a patient's face for measuring signals indicative of the patient's physiological condition. Sensors may acquire signals proportional to for example a body temperature, breathing gas concentration etc. One good example of a sensor placed is a respiration flow sensor used for measuring a breathing gas flow through a mouth and nose. Such sensors are used in hospital wards, home- or elderly care or in a sleep laboratory, where there is a need to detect a breathing deficiency or even apnea, caused by for example opiates, other medicine, an obstruction in the airways or as a consequence of a neurological disease or trauma.
Existing respiration sensors are usually placed on the patient's face, on or near by the patient's mouth or on the upper lip, between the mouth and the nose. Some small and light sensors are commonly attached on the face with a tape or similarly gluing. Some sensors are attached on a face with a rubber band type string going around the patient's neck or occiput. It is obvious that if such sensors come off, as the glue looses its grip on the skin or if the rubber band snaps, there is a high risk that the sensor enters the patient's upper airways or trachea causing choking and death. Partly for that reason some sensors are attached with a helmet type rubber net dressed on the patient's whole head, but such configuration is uncomfortable to wear as the helmet type rubber net squeezes and presses the face and the head.
Respiration sensors based on measuring pressure change caused by the flow of the breathing gas usually comprise voluminous pressure sensors and electronics due to they have been placed further away from patients face into a remote unit, such as a patient monitor or similar, and only the tubing used to sense and transfer the pressure change to the remote unit is placed on the patient's face. Such tubing is usually suspended under the nose, cannulas entering the nasal cavities, extending there on ears and continuing around the head to the remote unit or alternatively continuing from ears to the chest over the jaws. Tubes are commonly made of plastics and they are rather inflexible and uncomfortable to wear, furthermore the cannulas irritate the hawse pipes and are easily torn off by the patient.
The attachment and placement of existing configurations, such as described above, is insufficient in practice. It is common in hospital to use a tape to attach above sensors on patients face to prevent them to end up in to an incorrect place.